


A Little Wicked

by tassy0928



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Battle of Hogwarts, Death, F/F, F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Love, Not all is what it seems, Pain, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Redemption, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 14:02:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19427431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tassy0928/pseuds/tassy0928
Summary: Hope was beginning to seep into Daphne’s bones. Maybe she wouldn’t have to be the sacrificial lamb. Maybe both Greengrass girls would get to live tonight.Expert:Draco’s voice sounded defeated, but he still tried, “Daph- you’re a dead woman if you stay.”Daphne offered a humorless smile, pulling her eyes away from the confrontation long enough to say, “Would I really be Daphne Greengrass if I wasn’t consistently toeing the line between life and death? Now, you Vowed to protect her. Best to keep your promise lest we end up in a joint grave..."





	A Little Wicked

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU story with mature themes. Please be advised. 
> 
> Additionally, I previously posted this story with a different title on this site. It had a different, shorter first chapter which has since been changed. 
> 
> Enjoy.

_a little wicked_  
that's what he calls me  
'cause that's what I am  
hands red, hands red  
just like you said  
i am, i am  
a little wicked  
**  
**

_**A Little Wicked** _

** Valerie Broussard **

* * *

Daphne Greengrass was running- no, sprinting- down a stone hallway, fighting the urge to look behind her in an effort to avoid tripping over debris. It wasn’t an unusual sight given the battle-worn state of Hogwarts. Everyone inside the centuries-old castle had been waiting with bated breath for the last shoe to drop for months. Tonight, with the sudden reappearance of Harry Potter and his friends, it finally had. However, despite what it may look like, this particular Slytherin wasn’t running  _ away _ from anyone, but rather leading someone astray. A literal warzone might not usually have been the ideal environment for what was shaping up to be a very deadly game of cat-and-mouse, but to her, it was the perfect scenario. It was the chaos that made it so, along with her father’s rather predictable and explosive temper coupled with his inability to let a blow to his ego go.    
  
‘ _ Men and their pride,’ _ her mother had told her once, ‘ _ It’ll be the death of them.’ _   
  
She’d just managed to hide her sister away in a secret corridor near Gryffindor Tower and get a few halls away when their father had spotted her. Enraged that his daughters had run away from him upon spotting him earlier in the night, he diverted from whatever he’d originally been doing to stalk after her. That had been nearly fifteen minutes, four staircases, and three floors ago. Hope was beginning to seep into Daphne’s bones. Maybe she wouldn’t have to be the sacrificial lamb. Maybe both Greengrass girls would get to live tonight.

  
Hope gave way to the fantasy just long enough for it to really hurt when reality smacked into her in the form of two redheaded men. All three bodies tumbled to the ground, knees and elbows thwacking against the cobblestone floor. Daphne quickly extracted herself, a horrified look etching itself onto her features when she realized who they were, “Oh no. No, no, no! You two  _ cannot _ be here!”   
  
“Well, ‘scuse me, Greengrass, but your lot’s not won yet so I reckon we can be anywhere we like,” Fred Weasley replied, his tone full of teasing despite the circumstances. Percy, who Daphne recognized as the obnoxious Head Boy of her first year, shot his brother a questioning look.    
  
A familiar looking man was creeping up the corridor to their right, behind the boys, and she could hear her father call out to her from behind. She knew that he’d kill them just for kicks if he got close enough to recognize them. The hall to their left was still empty. Her voice low and tight, she snapped desperately, “Run, Fred!” He didn’t listen. Or perhaps he just wasn’t quick enough in reacting. Either way, they were blocked in on all sides before they realized what was happening.    
  
The nasty snarl of Allard Greengrass’s voice was almost as frightening as the downright deadly look on his face, “What are you waiting for, Daphne?!  _ Kill the sodden boys _ ! They’re blood traitors!” When her response wasn’t a quick, pointed killing curse aimed at the redheads, Allard snatched the back of his eldest daughter’s neck, manhandling her until she was staring up at him, “You will do as I say, you good for nothing twit, or you can bet you’ll regret it. Better yet, I’ll be sure  _ Astoria _ pays the price for your sheer stupidity tonight.”   
  
Daphne Greengrass had always followed the rules set forth by traditional Pureblood society. She did as she was directed. She never objected or complained. She always looked presentable no matter the time of day or occasion. She achieved perfect marks in all of her classes. She allowed Marcus bloody Flint to court her without one single grumble despite not being able to stand the man. She had never, not once, embarrassed the Greengrass name- except that one time, at birth, when she’d been born a daughter instead of a son. 

  
Above all, though, Daphne had always protected Astoria. It was her most sacred job as an older sister, even if it meant safeguarding her from their very own father. Even if it meant taking the blows, both magical and physical, herself. She had spent their entire lives teaching Astoria each and every survival technique she had learned by trial and error. She etched the importance of keeping up the facade that was being Allard Greengrass’s image of the Perfect Pureblood Daughters into her sister’s mind. On the occasion that the youngest of them misspoke or stumbled, even just slightly out of line, it was Daphne who bore the brunt of the fallout. It was worth it, she promised them both, because one day all of the deception and compromised morals would convince Allard that they were nothing more than the puppets he meant for them to be. It would keep them safe until it was  _ finally _ time to fight back. 

Staring up at her father, Daphne’s heart told her that it this was it. It was time. It was now or never. She spoke slowly, making sure Allard heard her loud and clear, “No.”   
  
Neither of the men who’d appeared in the hall with him, the ones with their wands aimed pointedly at the two Weasley brothers, could help the shocked expressions that flashed across their faces at her simple, short response. They had been at Allard’s side since their very own Hogwarts days and knew firsthand how hard it was to defy a man like him. They also knew what came of it. On more than one occasion both men had suffered at his hand. They’d also found themselves wishing they had children as seemingly compliant as the Greengrass girls.    
  
Percy shot Fred a look, but the younger Weasley hadn’t taken his eyes off of the blonde since she’d rounded the corner. When she’d first appeared, toppling into them with wild eyes and a flushed face, Fred hadn’t taken her seriously. It wasn’t until she’d said his first name that he’d realized that she wasn’t just putting him on. In hindsight, it had been bloody stupid of him. They were, after all, in the middle of a literal battle and she was his supposed enemy.    
  
He could feel the wands aimed at them, but he was more concerned with the one aimed at her. He and Daphne had somewhat of a unique relationship. It was clandestine for the most part; secret glances, covert and flirtatious conversations in the library, and morning runs that usually ended with each of them rushing to yank their clothes back on when too much time had passed.    
  
There was something else. Fred couldn’t quite explain it, but he’d always felt like she was trying to tell him something without actually saying it. Each time they’d run into one another, either inside or out of Hogwarts, he’d find himself drawing out whatever conversation they’d find themselves having just to see if she’d finally say it. She’d always been so closed off when it came to talking about her parents or home life. When he’d voiced the concern to his eldest brothers Bill and Charlie one year, they’d scoffed- everyone knew the Greengrasses were the epitome of evil.    
  
‘ _ Be careful, Freddie, she’s probably been instructed to corrupt someone close to Harry,’ Bill had said, ‘I know she’s a looker, but don’t be the one who falls for that sort of thing.’ _ __  
  
It was fairly obvious to him now what she wasn’t saying.    
  
Allard’s grip loosened just long enough for him to shift his hand from the nape of her neck to her throat, his fingers closing painfully around it as he positioned himself in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she registered Fred and Percy shift, though they were easily manipulated into stopping by the raised wands. Allard snarled, his teeth showing, “Did you just tell me no, girl? You must have gotten-”   
  
Abruptly, Daphne jerked her knee upwards into his groin. The shock of the action, and undoubtedly the pain, caused him to loosen his grip on her entirely as he doubled over. She took the opportunity to snatch his wand out of his hand, snapping it in two as she backed up. Her wand was brandished and pointed at him before the pieces of his own had managed to clatter against the stone floor. In the flurry of the moment, Fred and Percy were able to disarm their own opponents.    
  
“You stupid bitch! I’ve had it! I’m going to kill yo-” Allard roared, righting himself as best he could before his daughter cut him off once more with a perfectly aimed spell. Suddenly he was clutching his own throat, gasping for air.    
  
Daphne flicked her wand just slightly, and whatever invisible force was choking Allard seemed to tighten. She shook her head, “Not if I kill you first.” Another flick and his face was cherry red. He was barely dragging in any air at this point, “I want you to know that this was all the doing of a dead woman.” 

His eyes widened, clearly knowing exactly who she was talking about, “N-no! Shhhe-” he coughed- “c-c-couldn’t have!”   
  
Fred recalled that once, despite her usual avoidance of any conversation involving her family, that Daphne had told him that her mother had died. Fred, ever curious about the eldest Greengrass girl, had done some digging on the subject with the help of his twin. Turns out, Daphne had been the one to find her. The Daily Prophet quoted a ‘source close to the family’, saying, “ _ It was poor little Daphne who found Francesca- the girl’s only seven. She came ‘round from the back gardens covered in blood. She’d been running from the neighbor boy, playing chase, when she tripped and fell over her mother’s body and into the pool of blood. Apparently, Francesca jumped. There was so much blood. Even Daphne’s hair was tinged red. _ ”   
  
Fred had tried to imagine it then. Daphne’s hair was a cool blonde; the color of lilies. He couldn’t quite conjure up an image as horrific as a seven-year-old Daphne Greengrass covered in her own mother’s blood, stumbling inside what was no doubt some grand manor, desperately seeking help. At least, he couldn’t imagine it until now. He suddenly had a sinking suspicion that perhaps the paper had gotten the story wrong- maybe Francesca didn’t jump to her own death, leaving her body for her children to find. Maybe she was pushed.

“Oh, but she did. See, she left instructions, in case she was to suddenly cease to exist, and I’ve followed them  _ flawlessly _ ,” Daphne flicked her wand, this time more violently, and Allard began to turn blue as his eyes bulged, “You are not untouchable, father, and you are finished causing harm.”

  
Neither Percy nor Fred moved to stop her. With a final jerk of her wand, a distinct CRACK was heard amongst those left in the corridor as Allard’s neck snapped, his body falling to the floor, head angled unnaturally.    
  
A few beats of silence ticked by before one of the two men screeched, “BLOOD TRAITOR! DAPHNE GREENGRASS,  **YOU** ARE A-”   
  
Fred, without thinking, raised pointed his wand at the man and said, “Obliviate!” 

Open-mouthed and wide-eyed, Percy stared at his brother. Fred didn’t seem to notice as he turned to the other man, repeating the word, and then turned to look at Daphne. All she could manage to do was look at him and quietly ask, “Fred? Why?”

  
The war raged on around them. Fred didn’t know what to say, at a loss for words for the first time in his entire life. Percy, for his part, seemed willing to overlook the entire situation when an explosion rocked the hall they were standing in, “We have to go!” He grabbed his brother, “Come on, we can’t stay here!”   
  
For a moment neither Fred nor Daphne moved, despite Percy’s persistent pulling of his brother. They simply stared at each other. Knocked out of whatever trance he had been in, Fred finally said, “Come find me after! I’ll be there every day I can!”

Daphne nodded, understanding exactly what he was saying. Their spot. The one they met up at during holidays. She shot the Weasley boy’s a look of gratitude before turning, sprinting off in the direction she had come. 

* * *

Daphne was struggling to breathe as she ran full speed across the Great Hall, which was littered with bodies, unapologetically elbowing people out of her way. Draco, who she had run into shortly after finding the hidden corridor empty, had screamed her name the moment she entered the hall, violently waving and pointing across the way from them, near where the Head’s usually sat. They’d separated nearly forty minutes prior, promising to meet up in the hall every half an hour until they found the younger Greengrass.   
  
It hadn’t taken her long to see what he was so frazzled over: Astoria, at the wrong end of a Death Eater’s wand, using her own body as a shield for Ginny Weasley. While they were now both frantically making their way towards the group, Daphne knew she was closer. Ginny was gripping Astoria’s forearm, trying desperately to rip her friend out of Bellatrix Lestrange’s grip. The older witch had a fistful of brunette hair in one hand while the other dug the tip of her wand into Astoria’s cheek. She could hear the high pitched tones of Bellatrix, but she couldn’t make out what she was saying over the noise of the Great Hall. 

As soon as she felt she might possibly be close enough to accurately land an attack, Daphne flung the jinx at the curly-haired witch’s back, “RELASHIO!” 

It hit the intended target, forcing Bellatrix to let go of Astoria, who slammed into Ginny before toppling off of the stacks. It left Ginny in Bellatrix’s path. Daphne, still running, wasted no time in throwing another offensive spell, “Impedimenta!” The spell, though nearly missing its target, temporarily immobilized their attacker, giving Ginny just enough time to throw up a protective shield over her and Astoria. 

Astoria who, Daphne worriedly noticed, hadn’t gotten up from the floor yet. 

Unfortunately, since the spell hadn’t landed a direct hit, it was easy for Bellatrix to shake it off. Taking note of the shield, she hastily rounded on Daphne instead, “Diffindo!”   
  
The slicing spell caught Daphne right in the abdomen. She didn’t have time to access the damage, so she pressed a hand to the wound in an effort to slow the bleeding as she met Bellatrix’s enraged onslaught of offensive spells with every defensive one she could think of. Becoming more and more infuriated as time went on, Daphne wasn’t all that surprised when Bellatrix loudly proclaimed, “DAPHNE GREENGRASS IS A  **BLOOD TRAITOR** ! BLOOD TRAITOR! YOU HAVE BEEN  _ MARKED _ , DAPHNE GREENGRASS!”   
  
It seemed like they kept engaged for hours, though Daphne knew it was likely minutes when she felt herself beginning to lose the fight. Suddenly, a hand was wrapped around her wrist, and she was violently yanked downwards, off of the benches.    
  
“I have a plan,” Draco’s voice was harsh in her ear. He’d set her as gently as he could manage, which hadn’t been all that softly, onto the stone floor as he crouched beside her and yanked up her black sweater. He cast a quick healing spell- something that would stop the bleeding temporarily.    
  
“NOT  _ MY _ DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!”   
  
Seeing her alarmed expression, Draco explained, “That would be Molly Weasley coming to rescue her cub from the big, bad snake.”    
  
“Oh,” Daphne said simply, ceasing her struggle against him. 

They waited, crouched and hidden in the crowd, long enough to confirm that Molly was holding her own before beelining it towards Astoria’s limp body. Ginny, who was now crouched next to Astoria and surrounded by Geroge and her father, looked up at them as they arrived saying, “She’s alive- she just won’t wake up.” Daphne didn’t miss the defensive position the two men flanking her took when they spotted Draco. She positioned herself in front of him subtly, hoping that they wouldn’t hex her given that they’d just witnessed her saving their kin’s life. The littlest redhead noticed too, and shot them a look, “They’re safe. It’s not- just trust me.”

Neither looked convinced, but they each slightly lowered their wands as Molly began to get the upper hand against Bellatrix. Daphne nodded at Ginny before motioning towards her sister, “Draco.” The Malfoy heir stood and carefully moved forward, bending to pick up the unconscious Astoria. When Daphne didn’t move to leave with them she shook her head at her friend, “You know I can’t-”

  
“What if Potter doesn’t win?! You can’t be here if that happens-”   
  
“I’ve been openly marked a _ blood traitor _ , Draco. I’ll be hunted either way. You know I can’t go with you now. It’s not safe,” she shook her head, glancing up at the battling witches.   
  
Draco’s voice sounded defeated, but he still tried, “Daph- you’re a dead woman if you stay.”   
  
Daphne offered a humorless smile, pulling her eyes away from the confrontation long enough to say, “Would I really be Daphne Greengrass if I wasn’t consistently toeing the line between life and death? Now, you Vowed to protect her. Best to keep your promise lest we end up in a joint grave. I’ll find you if I can.  _ Go _ .” 

  
He hesitated for a moment before nodding and turning to go, “Keep alive, Daph. She’ll never forgive me for leaving if you truly do wind up dead.”   
  


“You’re bleeding. Are you alright?” Ginny asked softly. Daphne looked down, noticing the deep red pattern that had soaked through the left, front side of her jeans. It had managed to reach her knee before stopping.    
  
Nodding, she placed a hand on the still aching wound, “It isn’t fresh. Draco’s closed it for the present.” Daphne lingered along enough to watch Bellatrix meet her end, scoffing, “Your mum is spectacular. The only way that evil hag’s death could have been more karmically fitting is if Hermione Granger did the deed herself.”   
  
As Molly rejoined her family, hugging her youngest against her, Daphne turned to go. Ginny asked, “Are you… are you leaving?”    
  
Although Daphne was fairly certain that Astoria hadn’t been all that forthcoming with her secret Gryffindor friend, she did know that the redhead knew enough to know they’d been planning to run away. After all, it had been Ginny who had snuck them the muggle clothing and a few other supplies they couldn’t easily get their hands on by themselves. Those supplies, including the clothes, had been enough for three people: two girls and a boy. The Greengrass girls and Draco Malfoy. Obviously, the plan had changed. She would no longer be joining her best friend and sister. Not for a long while, at least.

“Seems I’ve got nowhere to go now, little cub. Might as well contribute to the mayhem and bloodshed more so than I already have, yeah? I’m sure not  _ everyone _ has learned of my newfound status as a blood traitor,” the blonde said smirking as she turned to leave, “It’s a tactical advantage.”

  
Pretending she was feeling anything other than the fear she actually was, Daphne waved over her shoulder and slipped into the crowd, disappearing almost instantly. George laughed, “I definitely didn’t see that one coming. You friends with all the Slytherins, Gin? Not all is as it seems, I s’pose.”

  
Arthur replied, “Not much usually is, son.”    
  
George grinned, “I think Fred might’ve been right ‘bout that one. Wait ‘til I tell him.” 

  
“Wait ‘til you tell me what?” Fred clapped his brother on the back from behind. Both he and Percy looked a little worse for wear, but both appeared to be relatively unscathed. Covered in dirt, with bits of rubble in their hair and a few bumps and bruises.    
  
“Daphne Greengrass just-”   
  
“EVERYONE IN THE COURTYARD- HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!”


End file.
